Every Holland schoolchild knows about DeZwaan, the 200-and-some-year-old Dutch windmill dismantled and reassembled in Holland in 1965.
However, the story you’ve heard is just the beginning.
“That story is much more fascinating, complicated and interesting than you would have believed,” Holland’s miller Alisa Crawford said.
For her new book, “DeZwaan: The True Story of America’s Authentic Dutch Windmill,” released this month for the historic machine’s recent golden anniversary in Holland, Crawford traveled to the Netherlands and delved into corners of DeZwaan’s history previously unknown, including just how old the windmill really is.
“This windmill is a lot of things,” Crawford said. “It’s a working machine; it’s a historical structure; it’s a symbol of Dutch heritage; it’s a workplace.”
The mill was formally dedicated on April 10, 1965 in Holland by Michigan Governor George Romney and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. They were pulling on a rope attached to a piece of wood symbolizing the release of the brake on the mill. Things went wrong when they brought down the timber instead. Fortunately no one was hurt.
Sources:
“Windmill De Zwaan more than just a symbol of Holland City’s roots; Reassembled in U.S. as a tower mill forty years ago”, courtesy of Wikipedia and GoDutch.com.
Andrea Goodell, “DeZwaan Windmill celebrates 50th anniversary”, Detroit Free Press, May 9, 2015.
Kathy Warnes, “De Zwaan-The Swan- Windmill Immigrates from Holland to Holland”, Meandering Michigan History.
“Take a Look Inside DeZwaan Windmill in Holland, Michigan“, Pure Michigan, April 22, 2014.